More home economics

The local grocery store had black berries on sale, and our jam supply was depleted so it seemed suitable to add in another home economics class and make some more jam. Noah carefully lifted the sterilized jars out of the hot water, and happily placed the filled jars back in the water. Now there is once again jam on the shelves for pancakes and waffles.

Blackberry Strawberry jam with nary any extra sweetener, makes both Mamma and boys happy!

Too funny for words

Noah takes great care in selecting the absolute perfect card when he is asked to find a greeting card. The floor of the Hallmark aisle at CVS was dotted with potential candidates for the best card, and only after careful and long deliberation was the perfect one selected.
He could hardly wait for Dad to open it, and then began to giggle and laugh so hard that we all had to join him. The card was a definite hit and kept us so occupied that we forgot to take pictures of Bob opening his gifts....Can you hear him laughing????

Happy Birthday Bob

Sunday evening, after Cub Scout hike, we finally had a chance to celebrate Bob's birthday. Noah and Lukas took the obligatory dinner pictures, one each so that we can for sure know both boys were in attendance. Since Bob had asked for a small cake, we opted for cup cakes, but how to put a lot of candles on a cup cake? Lukas solved it quickly, put on 7 and it is the square root of his birthday.

Robot building

Lukas is spending all his spare time in the basement on his robot projects. The motivation to get any and all chores and school work done swiftly is making him incredibly efficient.

Copy righted material!

Cub Scout Hike

Sunday afternoon, Noah and Bob headed out for a Cub Scout hike. Upon completion of this hike, Noah has fulfilled all the requirements for the Arrow of Light, which means he is eligible to cross over to Boys Scouts.
The sun came out and the temperature was a balmy 25 degrees as the boys and their parents hiked in a local park, but the snow was still deep.....and not all animals have survived this frigid winter.

Calling Grammy

Noah settled in the comfy chair to chat with his Grammy.

Roller skating

This past Saturday, the family had to divide and conquer. Bob and Lukas headed to Robo Fest and warm-up game and Mamma and Noah went roller skating.
Despite its seemingly similarities to rollerblading, which both Noah and Mamma enjoy, there are definite differences. We learned that the hard way, as our behinds landed on the not so soft roller rink floor. A few rounds and we gained a bit of confidence and could steer a bit. It was a fun afternoon even though we brought home a few bruises as souvenirs.

Breakfast and Home Economics

Noah is taking over breakfast making in our house. He is expanding is repertoire to include specialized omelettes. This one is filled with roast beef and cheddar cheese. His brother was the lucky recipient.  Maybe Chef Noah needs a better Chef Hat???

Pentagon

A different kind of pentagon

Professor Noah

Noah donned a pair of spectacles to assist in completing his math lesson one morning. His eye sight is still 20/20 at least last time it was checked, so these specs were just for looks. There is a certain kind of appearance to be kept up while being a serious student and Noah does it well.

Last day

Although it was time to return to Michigan, our own beds, and a bit of routine, we squeezed every little bit of fun out of our last day in the sun.
There was sand play, beach walks, mud water fights and body surfing - it was a very reluctant crew who headed to the outdoor showers to wash off and don 'city' clothes once again.

Our lodging

Key West, Florida in February, unobstructed view of the beach, three step access to the water - all for less than a Jackson! One of the fringe benefits of Bob's military career.  Noah fulfilled some of his Cub Scouts Outdoors requirements by being in charge of setting up the large, spacious tent we borrowed from friends. Falling asleep to the sound of water was like music to these ears who have been covered in layers of wool hats for too long to remember.

Southern most point

"Only 90 miles to Cuba" exclaim the sign on the colorful monument, and we dutifully stood in line to get a picture of this marker along with a cackle of other tourists who had the same brilliant idea. We also had to capture the 0 Mile Marker for Highway 1. There are a lot of 'southern most' in Key West, but we were on a mission: the local beach for some more sun, sand and fun.

Ernest Hemmingway

Ernest Hemmingway spent a considerable amount of time in Key West and his house is now open to the public. His writing studio is set up and preserved as it was when he spent time there writing. It is said that Ernest was a disciplined writer, writing for several hours each morning and then spend the rest of this time entertaining friends and frequenting the local drinking establishments. The current residents of the house are cats, at the moment we were there 45. They are treated very well, private staff veterinarian, full time care takers and gourmet food served up plentifully three times a day. Visitors are asked kindly but sternly to not touch anything, nor to sit on any of the furniture - to prevent wear and tear and maintain the house in good condition.. the cats on the other hand have free reign. These cats are most famous for their paws, polydactyl - ie paws with more than five toes - most of them have at least six, although Greta Garbo has seven toes on her paws.